Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielefeld and Frankfurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Bielefeld: $1,957 a month against $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Bielefeld
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Bielefeld Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Frankfurt
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Frankfurt Living Index

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Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,957

/mo nomad

Frankfurt

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bielefeld and in Frankfurt

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bielefeld and in Frankfurt actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,957 per month in Bielefeld vs $2,539 in Frankfurt, rent included.

Bielefeld $1,957
Frankfurt $2,539

A couple spends around $3,027 per month in Bielefeld vs $3,762 in Frankfurt, rent included.

Bielefeld $3,027
Frankfurt $3,762

A family of three spends $4,096 per month in Bielefeld vs $4,984 in Frankfurt, rent included.

Bielefeld $4,096
Frankfurt $4,984

Bielefeld is about 23% cheaper than Frankfurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bielefeld and Frankfurt sit above the global median – Bielefeld by 45%, Frankfurt by 88%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 €11.97

$16.72 €14.87

-19.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$88.4 €78.7

-5.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 €10.74

$13.36 €11.88

-9.58%

Cappuccino

$3.82 €3.40

$4.54 €4.04

-15.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$3.69 €3.28

-20.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 €2.62

$3.60 €3.21

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.21 €4.63

$5.55 €4.94

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 €4.53

$5.73 €5.09

-11.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.34 €1.20

-1.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.21 €1.96

-3.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 €3.44

$2.98 €2.65

29.87%

Eggs

$3.75 €3.33

$3.85 €3.42

-2.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 €12.73

$13.65 €12.14

4.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 €10.28

$11.78 €10.48

-1.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.62 €20.12

$21.85 €19.43

3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.08 €2.74

10.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.09 €1.86

0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$1.91 €1.70

6.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 €4.47

$3.90 €3.47

28.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.80 €1.60

-26.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.93 €1.71

-31.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.57 €1.39

0.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.91

$0.99 €0.88

4.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.42 €8.38

$9.54 €8.48

-1.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 €5.57

$5.47 €4.87

14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.16 €1.03

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.40 €1.25

16.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €3.00

$4.15 €3.69

-18.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 €56.8

$69.2 €61.6

-7.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 €4.83

$4.48 €3.99

21.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.18 €1.94

25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.50 €32.47

$23.71 €21.09

53.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.30 €2.05

-6.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.3K €28.7K

$32.7K €29.1K

-1.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.8K €34.5K

$38.2K €33.9K

1.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$296 €263

$394 €351

-24.92%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$30.81 €27.41

$19.53 €17.38

57.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.64 €39.71

$47.62 €42.36

-6.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 €30.19

$67.9 €60.4

-50.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.84 €34.55

$28.82 €25.64

34.77%

Cinema Ticket

$15.44 €13.74

$16.62 €14.78

-7.10%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$400 €356

$1,068 €950

-62.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K €25.1K

$22.9K €20.4K

23.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 €81.1

$84.8 €75.4

7.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.07 €34.75

$33.61 €29.90

16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.0

$83.7 €74.5

4.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$235 €209

$105 €93.0

124.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$688 €612

$1,345 €1,196

-48.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 €560

$1,111 €988

-43.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 €1,091

$2,720 €2,420

-54.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 €1,024

$1,936 €1,722

-40.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,642 €4,129

$7,856 €6,988

-40.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,210 €1,965

$4,296 €3,822

-48.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,807 €2,497

$3,979 €3,539

-29.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

3.61

9.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bielefeld: October 12, 2026

Last update for Frankfurt: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bielefeld

$629 32.1%

Frankfurt

$1.1K 43.7% 76.6% $482

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielefeld

$371 19%

Frankfurt

$461 18.2% 24.2% $90

Groceries & Markets

Bielefeld

$342 17.5%

Frankfurt

$330 13% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Bielefeld

$249 12.7%

Frankfurt

$297 11.7% 18.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Bielefeld

$204 10.4%

Frankfurt

$138 5.4% 32.3% $66

Getting Around

Bielefeld

$96 4.9%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 4.9% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bielefeld

$65 3.3%

Frankfurt

$101 4% 56% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $688 in Bielefeld versus $1,345 in Frankfurt. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 42% higher in Frankfurt, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Bielefeld versus $88.0 in Frankfurt. Groceries tell a different story – $342 in Bielefeld vs $330 in Frankfurt – so Frankfurt wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bielefeld

🇩🇪 Frankfurt

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

Same time as Bielefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

328,012

701,350

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bielefeld vs Frankfurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Frankfurt is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,936 per month in Bielefeld and $3,809 in Frankfurt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bielefeld, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Frankfurt – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Bielefeld and $88.0 in Frankfurt. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Bielefeld, where all-in costs run around $1,957, than in Frankfurt at $2,539. In Bielefeld it covers expenses comfortably, while in Frankfurt it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bielefeld – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bielefeld. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Frankfurt makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.